This month was a good month. I read 5 books, at 1896 pages. Not too shabby I’d say! So here we go.
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb (465 pages). It’s the 1960’s and Dolores Price’s world has been ripped apart. Her parents have divorced (after years of drama and an affair), her mother is sent to a mental asylum and Dolores herself feels completely lost. Then the unthinkable happens. In order to cope, Dolores finds herself gorging on junk food (provided by her mother) and camping out in front of the television. Fast forward several years. Nothing has changed but Dolores’ weight. Which has ballooned to 257 pounds. Another devastating loss happens and Dolores eventually finds herself in a mental asylum. She manages to lose a great deal of weight and tries to start her life over again. It seems like mistake after mistake happens to her. Until finally, finally, she is able to create a life that she loves. Dolores was a frustratingly fascinating character. I found myself loving her and becoming frustrated with her, all at the same time. But I did find myself sad to leave her when I finished the book. So that’s a good review of the book, isn’t it? I finished in 9 days.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (340 pages). This book was so good- I literally couldn’t put it down! Laura Blacklock is a travel journalist in London. When her boss goes out on maternity leave, Lo gets an amazing career opportunity- to cover a five day trip on a small cruise ship owned by the international businessman, Richard Bullmar and his wife Anne. Upon arrival on the ship, Lo asks the woman in the cabin next to her if she can borrow some mascara. She doesn’t see the woman at dinner and is awakened in the middle of the night to a scream and a splash coming from cabin 10. This begins a fantastic mystery novel. I can’t go into more detail about the plot without giving away major twists. But it was fantastic! I wish I could read it for the first time again. Literally, the only complaint was that, much like Girl on a Train, Lo was drunk, hungover, or medicated a lot. Which made her recollections seem questionable to everyone, including me sometimes. I finished in 2 days.
I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott (439 pages). Another month, another Hamilton novel. This one was from Eliza’s perspective, which I loved. Thanks to my absolutely love of the musical (well, I haven’t seen it but I’m obsessed with it), I wanted to learn more about the real Hamilton, not the Broadway version. Eliza was 97 when she passed away. She and Alexander were married for 24 years before his murder. She buried 2 children of the 9 she birthed. She was quite a woman. In a time when being a widow basically meant the end of your life, she didn’t allow the loss of the love of her life to end her life. She was quite admirable. Actually, that’s an understatement. She was extraordinary! I finished in 8 days.
Still Me by Jojo Moyes (388 pages). It’s always a joy to revisit Louisa Clark. Lou has accepted a job as a personal assistant to a wealthy couple in New York. Unfortunately, it means leaving behind her family and her boyfriend Sam. Lou, in typical Lou fashion, immediately becomes friends with her employer, a second wife from Poland who has her own secrets and struggles. Life in New York doesn’t go exactly as planned. But somehow along the way, Lou’s remembers Will’s words of wisdom about life and finds out who she really is. While I don’t think I’ve liked the sequels as much as the first, I’ve certainly enjoyed them. And this one I liked even more than the second one. I finished in 4 days.
Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer (264 pages). PBS currently has a great show in its second season- Victoria. She’s definitely one of the British monarchs I knew of, but didn’t know about (it’s hard not to know OF her when an entire era is named after her). So when I spotted this book, I decided to grab it up. And it was the perfect number of pages to finish out the month with another book read. The PBS series is a lot more enjoyable. I didn’t like the writing style at all. It’s written first person as Victoria. But in the style of a child when she is a child. Very weird. And I just didn’t like it. The author used the Queen’s diaries for the novel, but I find it hard to believe that, in the mid-1800’s, a queen to be would have written in such an infantile manner. Underlining things, using all caps, etc. But apparently, she did. Who knew?! Her story is quite amazing- she actually wanted to reign alone, a la Queen Elizabeth I. Then she laid eyes on Prince Albert again at age 20 and it was all over for her! Their fights were legendary. And they had issues (just like Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip). But they were mad about each other. Which was rather sweet. She lived another 30+ years after being widowed and never quit mourning him. I finished in 5 days.
This month’s favorite books goes to (drum roll please)- Still Me. I just LOVE Louisa Clark. She’s warms my heart.
